A variable stores a value so that you can use it in expressions. You use variables, rather than literal values, for several reasons:

•	You may not know the literal value when you write your script.
	For example, if your script changes the name of a file, it will need to use the existing name of the file. Obviously, you can't put the name of every file into your script.
•	Variables are easier to work with than some actual values.
	For example, if the actual value is a string of characters, using a variable makes it easier to use the value several times in the script.

To designate a variable, you use a name. Variable names can be anything you want. They are not case-sensitive, so "theName" is the same as "thename."

To create a variable, you assign it a value:

set theWord to "Mark"

In the example, "theWord" is the variable. After the command is executed, the variable contains the value "Mark."

You can also use an expression to assign a value to a variable:

set theWord to word 1 of text body of document "Simple"

To use a variable, include its name in a command or another expression.

display dialog theWord

AppleScript defined variables

AppleScript defines two special variables:

•	it is a reference to the default target
•	me or my is a reference to the current script